Hello everyone again. *watches Snape walk behind her like a shadow, sitting down where he is not seen*
Don't lament, first off: this story is not yet done, so I am not exactly abandoning anyone. I am only starting to well… reach the end of my Harry Potter days. There are tons of other things that I want to write, and I have explored the Harry Potter characters well enough. That's the best explanation I can give to those asking why I am not going to continue. Second off: I will give you your adrenaline fix before I have put down my last full stop, and I am going to start today. *nasty little grin there*
That said, Chapter 7, *hit play*
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Voldemort steepled his hands as he sat in his chair, inspecting his new group of death eaters. He was not entirely satisfied with what he saw. Most were children of 15, tops 18 years and fit only to become easy prey for rookie Aurors. But Voldemort's hand had been forced more than he had expected. The Dark Lord gritted his teeth. His best death eaters were killed or imprisoned. Most had already been given the dementor's Kiss. That idiot Fudge wasted no more time once he had them behind bars. But Fudge had been dealt with, and he had not lost his leverage in the Ministry. In fact, perhaps the Order did him a favour, after all.
He got up and walked in the circled the death eaters had formed.
"You have been selected to prove yourselves, to prove your loyalty to me and the cause you serve. All traitors to the pure blood of magic must die."
The death eaters hailed his words and fidgeted. Voldemort let them, and smiled that stony, ominous smile. He would regain his power. He only had to pull Dumbledore's teeth one by one.
Some with more priority than others.
"I believe some of you have news for me."
One Death Eater walked forward and kneeled. She removed her mask.
"Pansy Parkinson… ssspeak."
"We attacked Prof- Severus Snape, my Lord, to take revenge," she said with pride.
"You… attacked Severus Snape?"
"Yes, my Lord," Pansy stammered, unsure where she had gone wrong.
"Crucio!"
The girl's screams made Blaise's scalp prinkle. She hated Pansy, but she couldn't bear to hear her scream like that. Her fingers twitched, to cast something, anything, to help her. Remember- stop Voldemort from punishing, and you have sealed your own death. Blaise bit the inside of her cheek, hard, and concentrated on the pain. The curse was let up quickly.
"Foolisshhhh girl! You do not attack, you sssssslaughter! You are not fit to be my servant if your attack fails!" Voldemort hissed in anger as Pansy whimpered, curling up in the fetal position. Blaise stepped forward and bowed, removing her mask as well.
"Ssspeak."
"My Lord, Parkinson was quick to speak. It was I that arranged the attack on Snape, and I aimed to weaken him without Dumbledore suspecting me. At the moment all his attention is on Malfoy, and he has not noticed me. But Snape is weakened now, and he is ready for the taking at your command, my Lord," Blaise said and kneeled on one knee. Trying to control her beating heart, she added, "I would never dream of killing one of my Lord's enemies before my Lord has ordered it, or had satisfaction from the slime that dared cross him."
Voldemort smiled. The girl indeed had her father's instincts and he could feel the malice and hatred churn inside her sincerely. She was one of those he would call his trusted ones very soon, if she proved herself sufficiently. However, he had also felt the same hatred and loathing in one of his best potion brewers, up until the day that potion brewer cost him his victory. He nodded.
"You think well and speak better, Blaise Zabini…," he almost purred as he approached her, caressing his wand, "which makes me wonder if you were not taught what to ssssay… Crucio."
***
"Don't… don't go…" Blaise kept repeating in her fever. Dumbledore frowned, and looked up as Snape wafted in, holding two goblets of steaming potion.
"One for Zabini, the other for Parkinson. Malfoy will tell her he justified her absence and the circumstances of her return with some cock and bull story," the Potions Master spoke in such a low level that Albus strained to make out every word.
"You know she will be alright. It was just the first time she was subjected to the Cruciatus," he tried to comfort the dark man that watched Poppy Pomfrey administer his draughts.
"She will never be back to exactly as she was before. No person experiencing that curse ever does," Snape hissed, frowning. "For Merlin's sake, can't you make her regain consciousness?"
"You know the answer already, Severus. She has to wake up on her own, from this first shock."
Madame Pomfrey straightened up from the beds and came to the two men watching her.
"Everything that was necessary has been done. I gave Blaise some more sedative, so that it will be certain she will wake up after Pansy, and have a chance to talk to you. But you should both go out now. Breakfast is almost ready to be served."
Snape walked out with no other word, but Dumbledore lingered, listening to Blaise repeat those two words. He felt a chill down his spine. What is the warning you are giving? Who shouldn't go, and where? He walked out as well, and met Remus in the aisle.
"Make sure who goes with you tomorrow at Hogsmeade. The excursion will hold… several interests, I suspect," the Headmaster said and walked onwards to the Main Hall.
***
Harry walked in the room of Requirement and swallowed.
"Is everyone here?"
He heard shuffling of feet. "Except Blaise."
"We're all here, Harry," Ginny said numbly. Nobody spoke, and the fact that Blaise was absent lingered ominously over everyone.
"We all knew what Zabini was up against. She's not dead, merlin's beard!" Draco's voice said, too anxiously for its usual levels.
"Nobody would expect you to say anything less, Malfoy!"
"Ron, stop it!"
Harry tapped his cane to shush them all, and frowned.
"Draco's right. And Blaise is awake, I think. I heard the Headmaster whispering something to Professor Snape. She might even make the meeting before it's finished. So let's not start bickering again."
"So what is in store for us today, Harry?" Fred's voice asked.
"Yeah, another way to protect and shield?" George said before Harry had a chance to answer. Harry smirked.
"You'll thank me next time you don't have to think to throw up a shield against a death eater's curse, wise ass. But no, today I think we should start some serious combat. I have been thinking about it, and I think that Professor Lupin can teach all of you the best duelling. I have talked it over with him."
Silence. Then Draco huffed.
"So, that's it? You're breaking this up?"
"'Course not. Professor Lupin thought you might be interested in stuff that you use in duels when the only rule is that there are no rules, and he is not allowed to teach," Harry said and grinned like a fox. He heard instant whoops of joy from the Weasley twins, and Hermione for once did not voice any qualms.
"I thought …that was strictly Slytherin territory, Potter?"
Everyone in the room gasped, and turned to look. Standing there was a pale looking Blaise, holding her wand in her right hand, her eyes haunted and serious- as if anything youthful and joyous had left her, putting irony in its place. Draco walked up to her, looking her closely from top to bottom.
"You okay, Zabini?"
"Just peachy, Malfoy. Parkinson's out looking for someone to pet her."
Draco sneered.
"Too bad for her, then."
"Hey, hey, hey, you discuss all those inter-Slytherin stuff-"
"- in some other room!" Fred and George snickered. Harry smiled as he heard Blaise walk up to him.
"Glad you could make it."
"Me too. So, what's up for lesson today?"
Harry smiled again that feral smile.
"Get your wands out, and then tie your eyes with blindfolds. No peeking."
***
"I think we should go ahead," Snape said with finality, looking around at the wizards sitting with him in the Headmaster's room.
"Many times the bait is eaten and the prey is lost," Remus interjected.
"Unfortunately, we can't use the usual puppy, what with all his publicity," Snape said scathingly, and Sirius scowled back.
"I say we do it. No hard done considering the bait," he snapped back, staring daggers at the potions master.
"Sirius, Severus, this is not necessary," Dumbledore said calmly. The two wizards sat back in their chairs.
"You realise that nobody can know of this for the while we will do it," Remus said and stared at Snape.
"I know, Lupin."
"Not even Zabini."
"I know."
"Not even Harry."
"I said I KNOW!" Snape growled. Then he lowered his voice and breathed. "Unless the Headmaster has some other equally efficient way of carrying out the plan, I see no way to avoid it. And Zabini has given us a time and place that fit the circumstances we need to create."
They all looked at Dumbledore. The old man's brow was furrowed, his eyes dark.
"Severus, I need to remind you that the chances are you … that the plan won't even launch. The risks are too great, all of them mortal."
"It won't be the first time, Headmaster. Does any of the Order have a better way out?"
Silence.
Snape got up and sneered. "Then all you Gryffindors grow the spine to be able to suffer damages- or losses."
***
"So, what are we going to call ourselves?" panted Hermione, while everyone was sitting down in the room of Requirement, catching their breaths. Harry was sprawled on the floor, Sasha stretching her body across his chest to ease the tension of holding on around his wrist all day.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, we need a name that won't attract too much attention, so that we can set up meetings more easily. To tell the truth, some other prefects have started wondering what I am doing going up and down the halls at odd hours so that I can speak to each of you alone for anything Harry might have to announce."
"What she means is, she doesn't want Goyle catcalling after her every time she thinks up a reason to roam the Slytherin part of the castle," Draco said and everybody laughed.
"Have you thought of anything?" Ron asked, knowing that Hermione probably had a whole list.
"I was thinking, since we are sided with Dumbledore, why not call ourselves Dumbledore's Army?" she said, fanning herself.
"That is the dumbest name I ever heard," Draco laughed.
"Take it back Malfoy, right now!" Ron bristled.
"Make me, Weasel!" Draco taunted.
"Hey hey hey, knock it off, Draco, because you know that he really –can- make you do it, now," Harry smirked. Ron huffed and patted Hermione's hand gently.
"I don't think it's dumb," he said to her with a silly grin, and Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled, mollified.
"I honestly don't think that 8 people can call themselves an Army, though," Blaise said throughfully.
"How bout 'The Snipers'? Cos we are all stealthy and dark, silent types." George said.
"That is not too stealthy as a secret name though, is it?" Harry smirked.
"I think if it were a name, it should be something that sounds boring enough and school oriented," Harry said thoughtfully.
"I have an idea," Neville said timidly. Draco snorted, but the plump boy had developed enough self-esteem with what he had seen he could do with Harry's instruction, that he plodded on.
"Why don't we just call it the 'Study Group'? I know nobody would jump up and down to join one," he said.
"Granger would," Blaise said and everybody laughed.
"Okay then Study Group, let's study those homing in curses once more before we sleep in History of Magic class, shall we?" Harry said.
***
History of Magic droned on and on as usual, with all the students sleeping instead of absorbing knowledge. Except some, that had developed a way of communicating through charmed paper. It was Hermione's invention, and whatever one wrote on it, it would show up on every piece of charmed paper anyone else held. It was the way the secret Study Group communicated for emergencies. Blaise took out her piece and swallowed. She knew that all of the members of the Study Group were on the level, and nobody would give her away for what she really was; but she could not afford to warn all of them for what was going to happen, for fear that they would not act surprised or scared enough. If any of her classmates suspected that someone amongst them was a traitor, it would be a matter of time before someone suspected her. Her pen lingered, then she breathed in, and wrote the names of those she wanted her message to appear to. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger.
When the letters were absorbed in the parchment, leaving its surface creamy coloured and clean again, she wrote: I have to warn you, but don't tell the others in advance or I will be suspected. She waited for the ink to be absorbed, then without her writing, two letters appeared on the surface. O.k.
She breathed again and swallowed, then wrote her warning. There will be an attack tomorrow when we go to Hogsmeade. Voldemort has ordered us to kill Harry. The letters were absorbed in the parchment, leaving the surface clean.
***
"I still think you shouldn't go, Harry. You are a trouble magnet as you are, and a whole load of things can happen in Hogsmeade!" Hermione huffed, trying to convince her friend.
"Don't try to change my mind, Hermione. I will go. If anything, if I don't go, Blaise will be suspected and Voldemort will torture and kill her. He kills at the slightest hint of betrayal now," Harry said, twirling his cane in his hands. He heard how his friend breathed and huffed. He tried to imagine her expression, but lately Harry had trouble remembering exactly how expressive his friends' faces could be. In fact, a lot of memories from the visual world were slightly faded, refreshed only when he shared Voldemort's eyes.
"I'll tell Sirius, and he will forbid you to go!" Hermione huffed.
"Actually, Sirius tried. I told him I would go anyway, so he'd help me more if I didn't have to worry about using less safe roads getting to Hogsmeade in secret."
"You are incorrigible!"
"That's what they all tell me. Why aren't you with Ron? I bet he will have a better performance in quidditch practice if you are there watching," Harry smirked as he heard Hermione suck in her breath gently.
"Are you blushing?" Harry asked, laughter in his voice.
"You are being silly," Hermione said and got up to go, touching her warm cheeks.
"You are blushing!" Harry snickered as Hermione walked past him, jabbing him at the shoulder as she went, her face hot now.
"I might be blind, but some things I see better that you!" he called after her, making his voice wavering and shrill, like a typical old woman that predicts things in fairytales. He laughed as he heard the portrait hole bang.
***
Next day, some fifth years commented on the fact that more than one teacher was accompanying them to the wizard village this time: Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and Professor Lupin were to escort them all. The fact that the tall potions master was to come along was a great dampening factor to all students, including the Slytherins, that had lost some part of the priviledges they held while Snape was still under cover. Phrases like 'why did the greasy git have to come?' and 'oh man, now I'll never be able to get dung bombs and use them' floated across the student body. Harry's heart beat fast. His hands were around the cane so tightly his knuckles showed. Hermione was doing her best to appear carefree. Harry wished he could look at the expressions of the professors, to see how much they expected anything to really happen and how much they were along just as a precaution. This was, after all, the first Hogsmeade trip after Hogwarts Attack. He swallowed and hissed at Sasha.
"Can you see any professors?"
"I can sssssee your Head of Houssse."
"Let me look," Harry said, and he felt the snake relinquish her mind to him. Vision through a snake's eyes was very similar to human- but it was always as if through a lens that skewed things just a little bit, in ways that Harry couldn't tell but his brain just told him that something didn't appear to be entirely right. He could see McGonagall, with slightly blaring colours (Sasha's vision always accented the colours far too much), walking rigidly alongside the students. Her eyes darted here and there. So they are expecting something, too.
Harry had not tried to go warn Dumbledore about what Blaise told him; he knew that whatever she found out in Voldemort's circle, she told the Headmaster first. He broke the mind link with Sasha and started tapping along, hearing Ron talking to Hermione nearby. Blaise was not with them, and neither were a few of the other Slytherins. Some had declared themselves sick, others that they had to study, others that they needed to catch up on quidditch practice. But Harry knew that he would meet them all behind some of the white masks that would jump on them any time now.
"Anyone wanting to visit any of the shops, disperse now and be back here in exactly 60 minutes. Anyone that is late will suffer abysmally- there will be NO exceptions," Harry heard Snape's voice declare loudly, and all the students ran all out for the candy and trick shops, not wanting to test his threat. Harry suck in his breath. He is clearing the ground.
"That means you too, Potter," Snape barked.
"Yes, Professor," Harry said. Ron called to him and they walked off, but Harry lingered. Ron looked between him and Hermione.
"All right, what's all this now? Why are we walking with the speed of a snail when we only have 60-"
"There's going to be an attack here, Ron, very soon," Hermione said urgently. Ron gasped.
"At-at-tack??"
"Voldemort is coming for Harry. Run and call the rest of the Study Group. We have to be ready," Hermione ordered. Harry was standing a little away from them, listening hard. He could hear nothing out of the ordinary. Not yet.
"Harry?" he heard Hermione whisper. Hermione always whispered when she saw him in the position he was in, trying to discern even the slightest noise.
"I am waiting," Harry said.
***
Snape's fingers twitched. He walked casually along with Remus, always keeping the Boy-Who-Lived in sight. The timing had to be impeccable for what he had in mind to work.
"There is still time to change the plan, Severus," Remus said, watching Ron running fast away from where Harry and Hermione were standing. The two students didn't seem interested in engaging in any Hogsmeade activity yet.
"All this whimpering is making me nauseous, Lupin," Snape's upper lip curled slightly. Remus sighed.
And then all hell broke loose.
***
Curses started flying from all the side roads and nooks and crannies that one could think of. Everyone that was in the shops screamed, some rushing outside in their panic. And then, black robed figures with white, gleaming masks appeared, running towards anyone wearing a Hogwarts robe. Snape clenched his teeth, watching Harry, Hermione and Ron rush into the attack. It's like watching junior league play-offs, by Merlin. He rushed in, wand in hand, hoping against all hopes, that no stray curse found him.
The death eaters felled easily most of the by-standers- some of them casting their first avada kedavras- making way to reach the targets: for whoever got the highest prize, would get Voldemort's praise. Blaise breathed with difficulty behind the mask, and saw to her great dismay that Harry was there, fighting with that lightning quick way of his- as was Hermione, and Ron… and now the Weasley broom and Longbottom that rushed to battle still chewing candy. Some of the death eaters trying to get at them went down. The professors shielded the students that were nearby, but Harry and the Study Group were out of range for McGonagall, and Lupin was already defending and fighting others. She saw most of the death eaters converge on the Boy-Who-Lived.
Professor Snape ran towards them, to be able to cover for them, wand out.
"You, shoot the traitor!" an adult death eater ordered her. Her wand hand trembled. If she shot with something mild, it would sign her death warrant. And she would disobey her mentor. Hadn't Snape told her that if it came to that, to shoot whatever she had at him, and worry not about the concequences? hadn't they gone over it time and again in all the lessons in Occlumency? If you don't do it, you will fail everything, yourself and Snape and Mother!
"Shoot the traitor, damn you!" the death eater snarled, trying to get a target towards Harry. Blaise shut her eyes, pointed the wand and yelled the first curse that came to her mind, missing by millimetres on purpose- the curse made a hole in the potion master's cloak. Then the other death eater snarled Avada Kedavra! right at Harry Potter.
***
Harry heard the curse, and he heard the swishing of the cloak that he knew so well.
"SNAPE, NO!" he yelled throwing his arms forward as the potion master's body shielded Harry from the greenish light. He heard Remus behind him chanting something, but Harry was too busy screaming as he fell backwards, Snape's body falling over him, limp and heavy and unresponsive.
"Professor, damn you, no! No, no no no no!" Harry struggled, his hands running the entire length of Snape's back right up to his shoulders. Harry managed to sit up, still half pinned under the weight of Snape's body. His fingers found the carotid, searched for a pulse. Nothing.
"DON'T DO THIS TO ME YOU—YOU—" he screamed again, trying to listen for a faint breath, a heartbeat, anything. He shook the man by the shoulders. He slapped him across the face. He tried to feel for a pulse again.
All in vain.
Severus Snape was dead.
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*watches everyone around her* *peers around* can anyone see Snape? Helloooo? Snape? *silence* hmmm. Okay, I am ready for you to slaughter me… but I mentioned before that I am not afraid to kill… and I DID promise you an adrenaline rush, didn't I?
Okay, and now, FINALLY, for reviewers:
WolfMoon: Here I am, I updated. I am not sure you liked what you just read, though.
water drifter: here's the next instalment. Are you sure you can take what the next one will be?
Kateri1: *bites lip* oh… then… I'm sorry?
Tim H. Smith: well, I think of 'smirk' as smiling with a little huff, like a heh. So he'd hear that sound. I think the rest of your questions were answered ;)
Barbara Kennedy: I am glad you like this one, and it is touching that you would like to read more of my stuff. Who knows? perhaps you might, just not in HP universe. Is that so horrible?
Phoenixpadfood89: I don't know… where? *chuckles*
Kemenran: I hated Umbridge too. I think she was far too blatant. As for your questions: 1. Who knows what Ludo Bagman is doing, yet.. *cackle* 2. Well after this little incident here, the Ministry might wish to have a say in it. 3. Of course he knows about the group, and he is helping Harry. I just didn't get around to writing any such sequence… yet. 4. Order members know about the army. I don't know how you will take this instalment, though.